Lamb with Spicy Chickpeas

Juicy, spicy and warming, this is one of my favourite lamb dishes. Chickpeas are an amazing and heatlhy way to jazz up everyday meals, simply by mixing them in! Buttery mashed potato in particular, peppered with crunchy chickpeas is such a treat.

For this dish however, I'm infusing them with fresh tomatoes, white wine and plenty of herbs and chilli for the ultimate lamb dinner.

Ingredients:

2 Lamb Chops

Olive Oil

1 Tin of Chickpeas

2 Shallots

5 Large Tomatoes

150 - 200 mililtires of white wine

1 or 2 Fresh Chillis

1/2 tsp of Dried Chilli Flakes

1/2 tsp of Dried Coriander

1/2 tsp of Dried Cumin

1/2 tsp of Paprika

A Handful of Fresh Parsley

A few Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

2 Large Garlic Cloves

Juice of half a Lemon

A tbsp of plain yoghurt to garnish.

Method:

The idea here is to create a rich and spicy tomato salsa, full of chickpeas to lay the tender lamb chops on top of.

Begin by frying thinly sliced shallots, chilli, crushed garlic and the dried spices in a pan with plenty of olive oil on a low heat. When the onions have softened, add the roughly chopped tomatoes and chopped fresh parsley. As the tomatoes fry, they will turn into beautiful and mushy salsa. Bring the pan down to a simmer and pour in the rinsed chickpeas and white wine. At this point you can also add your seasoning of salt and pepper to taste.

When the mixture has formed a thick juicy salsa, place in the oven at about 170 C/Gas Mark 3 to keep warm and continue softening.

Splash a little olive oil, salt and pepper into a fresh pan and carefully add the lamb chops. Allow them to cook evenly on both sides, turning them over at intervals by gripping the edge of the chop or the bone with a pair of tongs. They should need about 8 - 9 minutes to cook.

Bring out the chickpea mixture and pour into a shallow wide bowl. Place the chops on top and garnish with fresh thyme, a dollop of yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon juice. I like to sprinkle a smidgeon of paprika over the yoghurt too to give it spice and colour.

And there you have it - soft tender lamb full of spice.

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